DENON DCD-A110 Anniversary Edition SACD Player

The DCD-A110 is equipped with Ultra AL32 Processing, Denon's analog waveform reproduction technology that is designed to utilize data interpolation algorithms and supports high-resolution sound sources. These algorithms help interpolate points that should exist before and after the points in large quantities of data to achieve a smoother waveform that is closer to that of the original signal. By restoring data that was lost during digital recording, the resulting playback sound is more detailed, virtually free of interference, localized, expressive in the lower range, and faithful to the original sound.

Intel's Cyclone 10 Field Programmable Gate Array is onboard to support the computation required to support Ultra AL32 processing, achieving just half the EMI and heat generation of the earlier generation of Cyclone previously used in AL32 processing.

In addition to CD and SACD, the DCD-A110 can play 2.8 and 5.6 MHz DSD files and Hi-Res Audio files up to 192 kHz / 24-bit recorded on DVD±R/RW discs and music files with sampling frequencies up to 48 kHz recorded on CD-R/RW discs.

The DCD-A110 implements a Quad DAC configuration to achieve more powerful and better spatial expression of the soundstage. Each DAC converts the data coming from the Ultra AL32 processing for both left and right signal dispatch, allowing the current output bundling to achieve better sound and surpassing the operating frequency limit of the individual DACs. This helps to lower the noise level and enhance the S/N ratio and THD. The SACD player is also equipped with a fully discrete filter stage to help produce an expansive soundstage.

The DCD-A110 is equipped with two clock oscillators, one for each sampling frequency (44.1 and 48 kHz), that can be switched between the frequencies to suppress jitter. This clock is the reference for the four-audio DAC operation and helps ensure that the digital audio circuitry performs at its maximum potential. To supply a cleaner master clock directly to the DACs, the SACD player is equipped with tri-state buffer multiplexers. The master clock signal from the crystal oscillator passes through the buffer circuit only once to the DAC, impacting the jitter of only 18 fs.

To virtually eliminate mutual interference and noise, the power supply units for the digital and analog circuits are fully independent. The analog power supply circuit features a fully discrete design optimized for audio with the 3300 µF block capacitor used for the power unit of the analog circuitry after the D/A converter. The DCD-A110 also uses a High-Power Bipolar Junction Transistor and a Fully Discrete Voltage Regulator Circuit to help provide a clean, yet robust, stable supply of power, resulting in a sound that is balanced between a strong foundation and delicate details.

The onboard disc drive design contains Denon's Advanced S.V.H. (Suppress Vibration Hybrid) Mechanism. The circuitry that controls the pickup and decodes the signals read from the disc has been developed with shortened signal paths and miniaturized circuits to help ensure that excess current or noise will not occur. The various parts are made with different materials, such as a copper plate for the top panel to strengthen rigidity, die-cast aluminum for the disc tray, and 2mm thick steel for the mechanism brackets. Enhancements to high-mass, vibration-resistant properties and the dispersal of resonation points contribute to a high level of vibration resistance. Additionally, the mechanism's low center of gravity further helps to suppress any vibration occurring inside the mechanism due to disc rotation, and the mechanism structure also helps to suppress external vibration. By minimizing unwanted vibration, servo-related operations are minimized, allowing digital signals to be read from the disc with augmented accuracy under stable conditions.

The integrity of musical signals deteriorates when they are subject to internal vibration caused by disc rotation or the power transformer, or to airborne vibration caused by sound pressure from the speakers. To guard against such influences, a vibration suppression structure called "Direct Mechanical Ground Construction" was developed. In this design, the power transformers – themselves a source of vibration – have been placed near the feet of the SACD player where unwanted vibration is funneled directly to the shelf and prevented from affecting nearby circuitry. Also, by placing the drive mechanism (the part with the greatest mass) low in the center of the chassis, the low center of gravity effectively absorbs internal vibration caused by disc rotation and also protects the mechanism from external vibration. To further reduce external vibration, the 1.2mm thick main chassis has been reinforced with two 1.6mm thick steel plates to produce a rigid three-layer structure with enhanced vibration-resistant mass.